The Best Years
by bigbeliever92
Summary: High school should be an exiting new phase in a young girl's life. But not for Ezmerelda. Nothing could make her palms sweat more than the thought of embarking on that new adventure. [Story inspired by Sarah Dessen novels]
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Some people say that high school contains the best years of your life. My mother is one of them. My older sister happens to be one as well. They can't fathom why I would be reluctant to enter this new stage of my life, filled with clubs, pep rallies, football games, and parties galore.

My mother doesn't understand me at all. She was _popular_ in high school. Walking around, surrounded by a crowd of friends, she owned the school. Without her, the top of the pyramid would have been vacant. The quarterback of the football team would have been lost without her by his side.

I mean, come on. How stereotypical is that? The quarterback and the head cheerleader hooking up? Now _that_ must have turned heads. What makes me even more embarrassed than a cheerleader mother is a quarterback father. Yup, I said it.

Now, I'm sure when my parents got married, they thought that their progeny would turn out to be just like them. For the most part, they were right…well 2 out of 3 isn't bad.

Anna came first, in all her shining glory. As the first born, it is easy to see why everyone adores her. Even I can tell that she was a cute kid. With little blonde pigtails and big blue eyes, she was the party favorite, the crowd pleaser. And she grew up exactly as my mother wanted her to. Every report card day she came home with straight A's. Every fall she arrived home to tell us that she had made the cheerleading squad, and every spring she would announce her starting position on the softball team.

To make matters worse, she's an amazing sister as well. It would be so much easier to say that despite her perfect demeanor she was an awful sibling. No matter how much I would like to say that, it just isn't true. Always in the front row of my dance recitals, she claps the loudest during the curtain call. She calls on the phone to see how my day was, and she always jumps to my defense when I'm having a tough time with mom and dad. Yea, she's a great sister, but that doesn't make it any easier to live in her shadow.

My younger brother was also blessed with those wonderful genes. He's only 10, but I can already see what's ahead of him. Just like my sister is a clone of my mother, my brother is a clone of my father. Brian has always been the baby of the family. Everyone loves them. At family gatherings, grandparents go up to them, pinch their cheeks and give them a cookie. It's no different with us. It doesn't help when he's the most adorable thing you've ever seen. With sandy brown hair and hazel eyes, he looks like one of those kids on the Juicy Juice commercials. Every time they air, someone in the room always exclaims how cute they are. We're expecting Juicy Juice to call back any day now.

He wants to play football too. I swear, when I heard him say that I wanted to ring his neck. My dad immediately began strategizing his entire career, complete with college scholarships. Now after all this, you can see why I might feel a little inferior.

It all started with my name. You see, my parents have perfectly normal names: David and Laura. Good, simple American names. They passed that on to my sister as well. But it seems that around the end of the pregnancy, my mother and father had a burst of insanity. They wanted to be _original_ with my name, so that I could grow up and stand out. That's probably why they named me Ezmerelda. Come on, who names their kid that? How many times was I teased in school, where kids compared me to that girl in the Hunchback of Notre Dam? That's the only Ezerelda i'm aware of. Only after they named me did my parents emerge their heads from the clouds. That's why my brother got a good name, a normal name.

Not only did my parents get their wish with my name standing out, but they also got that in the looks department. No one would guess that I belong in this family. My sister is a carbon copy of my mother, as is my brother to my father. I look like the kid that got dropped on the front doorstep. With my mane of curly brown hair and eyes to match, I feel like the outsider, the Jan Brady of the family. I understand how Jan felt, with Marcia this and Marcia that. I know exactly how she felt when everyone exclaimed how cute little Cindy was.

Mom swears that I get it from dad's side of the family, but he swears the opposite. I had to get my brown eyes from somewhere, I always tell them. Once, I jokingly asked mom if she had had a little too much fun with the mailman. Needless to say, I didn't get desert that night.

But now, back to the present day. It's a week before my first day of high school. Richardson High is a massive campus, and my palms start to sweat just thinking about the first day.

It is Saturday, and my mother and I are shopping for school clothes. Unfortunately for her, I didn't get the shopping genes. It's practically a given for a cheerleader to love to shop, so mom and Anna naturally are pro's in the art of cruising the mall. Every time I get dragged on one of their outings, I just stand there. In fact, I could pass for one of the pillars next to the display racks. I have absolutely no interest in trying things on…my only goal is to get out of there as fast as possible. And when that doesn't happen, I get cranky, very cranky.

On this particular occasion, getting out early is not an option. I can hardly see my mom under the pile of clothes that she dumped in my arms. I see something low cut, and…oh god….is that _sparkly_?

I make a face, despite the fact that she can't see me. "Mom is this really necessary? I have tons of clothes already."

I can faintly hear her reply over by the jeans. "Oh but honey, don't you want to look good when you start school? I know that when I was your age I obsessed over what I was going to wear on the first day. I would call all my friends and debate on what outfits to put together. Of course, we would have to say our plans because we wouldn't want to wear the same thing. What a nightmare that would have been."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh yes, now that would have been a nightmare," I muttered.

From behind my mound of clothing, I heard my mother exclaim excitedly.

"Ezzie! You won't believe what I just found! This skirt is just to die for, and with this top you will be an absolute knockout!" She walked around me until she could see my face and held up the outfit for me to observe.

It looked like something I would never wear in a million years. The cream colored blouse was low-cut, and the black skirt was short, definitely short enough to show off some thigh.

Mom took in my bland expression and her excitement lowered a bit. "Well I know it's a bit risky but I can see you wearing this, hon. Just don't show your father. He may like it on me but you're his little girl." She turned on her heel and went in the direction of the dressing rooms, beckoning me to follow her.

I hid my exclamation of revulsion at my mother's comment. That was way too much information for my fourteen years of age. Why couldn't she be a normal mother? You know, the kind that buy big lumpy sweaters and encourage you to stay home and read _Harry Potter_? I don't think my mom would ever encourage me to read in my spare time. Every time she sees me reading at home on a Friday night she says, "Ezmerelda, you just wait until you get into high school. You won't want to be sitting at home reading that book."

Sorry to disappoint you mother, but that's exactly what I will be doing. At least, that's the plan.

"Ezmerelda, are you coming?" Hearing my name being called snapped me out of my reverie, and I slowly ambled in the direction of the dressing rooms. This was going to be a long afternoon.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the review! I don't know if it was obvious but this is my first fanfic and i'm just trying to make it the best that i can! Hopefully i can get a bit more reviews than the last time! I would really appreciate any, including constructive criticism. **

Chapter Two

A couple hours later, Mom and I arrived home, accompanied by my brand new wardrobe. It took three trips to the car (each) for us to lug everything into the house, and let me tell you this: I was not in the best of moods.

As soon as the front door closed, I made like mad for the stairs, but just as I neared the first step my mother's voice floated to me from the living room.

"Ezmerelda? Dear, aren't you going to show your father what we got?"

I grimaced. Every time we went shopping this happened. _Every time_! I could never escape to my room and my long for solitude after a long afternoon with my mother. Afterwards she would always insist that I put on every piece of clothing that was bought and parade around the living room to show it off. Images of _America's Next Top Model _raced through my mind and I fought off a shiver.

I dragged my feet into the family room and observed the scene before me. My dad was sitting in his usual leather chair in the corner. The television was on, and he looked engrossed, his eyes never straying from some sports talk show. I knew that he could care less if I showed him what I bought today. Each time that I did what mom asked me to, I would stand in front of him looking slightly uncomfortable…okay more than slightly uncomfortable, and he would say, " That's nice, sweetheart."

I knew it was all show for my mother, so she could "ohhh" and "ahhhh" at the fabulous fashion choices that she had made that afternoon. But why did her excitement always have to come at my expense?

"Mom, I really don't think that Dad cares what we got." I snuck a glance over at him, and sure enough, he didn't even glance in our direction.

"Nonsense, he cares very much. Don't you, David?" My mother looked expectantly over at him and waited a few seconds. With no sign of movement, she started to get impatient. "David!"

My dad looked innocently at her, as if he was just aware of her being in the room with him. "What was that, Laura?"

She looked a bit irksome as she repeated, "Don't you want to see what we got Ezzie today at the mall?"

Dad looked at me and took in my expression. Making my eyes wide, I silently pleaded with him to say no, to save me from any more torture. I shifted my weight from one leg to the other, trying to look impatient to leave. As luck would have it, it didn't work.

"Yea, sure. Why don't you go show me what you got?" He stared at me for a second, then looked guiltily back at my mother. I turned and angrily exited from the room. What a traitor. He's just doing this to get on Mom's good side.

As I reached the top of the stairs, again, I heard my mom calling me, "And don't forget to put on the shoes!"

I quickly entered my room and shut the door behind me, eager to get this through as soon as possible. As always, the room was as neat as ever. One thing about me, I can't stand a mess, no matter how small it is. The room was painted modestly, with ivory walls and a light blue trim. My desk took up one corner of the room, and my bed the other. I had shelves lining the wall documenting my childhood up until now: Me on the beach with Anna and Brian, family vacations at the Grand Canyon, and lots of pictures of me and Emily.

I can't even remember a time when Emily and I weren't best friends. Her mother was pregnant at the same time as mine, and they only lived a neighborhood over, so naturally they were invited to the same parties. Emily and I had been in the same class since pre-school, and had been inseparable ever since. Until now, that is. Emily and her family moved a month ago, leaving me to attend Richardson by myself. I felt bad for being so selfish. But I wanted my best friend with me, especially at this crucial point in my life. But I didn't want to think about that right now.

Reluctantly, I opened the bag full of clothes, and put on the first outfit I found. It was a red and white polka dot top with a flowing black skirt, the kind that little girls like to spin with just so they can see it twirl around them. By the way, I was never one of those little girls.

I put on the outfit and decided right away (for the second time that day) that I could never wear this to school. The resemblance to Minnie Mouse was just too powerful. But for now, I would humor my mother and show her the outfit.

When I walked into the living room I found my mom waiting expectantly on the couch, sitting on the edge of her seat in anticipation. My dad hadn't even noticed that I was back.

From there, I went through the normal routine: walking around in a circle, standing where directed, and letting my mom inspect me entirely. I let my father make his usual comment and went back upstairs to go through the process again. I kept going until I got to the last outfit, but when I went downstairs, Anna was sitting next to Mom.

When she saw me coming, she stood up and spun me around. "Oh, Ezzie, you just look gorgeous! Did you pick this out by yourself?" She looked exited, as if realizing that she finally had a sister to shop with.

"Sorry to disappoint you ,sis, but this was chosen by our dear mother." I felt a little guilty being so sarcastic, because I knew that all mom wanted was for me to look good and to have fun. But I couldn't resist the occasional poke in her direction.

Anna looked slightly crestfallen, but regained her composure quickly. " Okay, Ezzie, why don't you go get changed and come back downstairs? I have some big news to share with you guys."

I nervously glanced at my mom, trying to decipher if she knew anything. From the expression on her face, she didn't. My dad was still sitting in his chair, unmoving. I looked at my sister, who had sat back down again. "Alright, I'll be right back."

Quickly, I ran upstairs and changed into a pair of sweatpants and a baggy T-shirt. I ran my fingers through my hair but they quickly got tangled. There was no use doing anything there. I jogged back down the steps and plopped myself down on a chair facing the couch. But sitting there for just a second, I realized someone was missing.

"Wait, where's Brian?"

As if someone had suddenly pulled him into the conversation, my dad looked over at me and answered. "He's spending the night at Mike's. They had a game earlier and wanted to keep on celebrating, I guess." He looked proud, as he always did when Brian entered a conversation. It got quite annoying after a while.

Turning away from my father, I looked at Anna, ready for her news. "Okay, hit me with your best shot."

She suddenly stood up and started walking around the room. I knew this behavior, as I had witnessed it quite frequently. She was nervous, and she was trying to convince herself to spit out whatever it is she needed to say. "Okay, well what you need to understand is that I am an adult. I'm 19 years old and I have my own apartment. It's not much but it'll be okay for the time being. As for everything else I will handle it when it comes."

She had all of our full attention now. My dad turned off the television, and my mother started tapping her foot, something she always does when she is anxious. I went over and stood next to Anna. "Hey, just say it. We won't think any less of you, I promise."

She looked gratefully at me, took a deep breath, and blurted it out, " I'm getting married."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Silence filled the room, enveloping each of us with its presence. I wasn't sure which one of us was more shocked. My mother sat just as before, on the edge of her seat, but her lips were pressed together as if suppressing something, My dad was staring at Anna, as if he was confused as to what was going on. Actually, that's about right. Confusion fit this situation perfectly.

Dad finally regained the use of his vocal chords and voiced the opinion that all of us were thinking. "I wasn't even aware that you were dating anyone."

Anna looked extremely guilty, which was new for me. In fact, this situation was an entirely new experience. Never before had my sister been the center of a family crisis. Usually I was the one whom my parents talked about, worried about my behavior. But this time was different because my parents were looking directly at Anna in a way that they never have before. I couldn't quite register the expressions on their faces, and I wasn't sure that I wanted to.

Anna risked a glance at me, and when she saw that she had someone on her side, she started to explain. "Well I haven't really known him all that long. It's all happening so suddenly I'm trying to wrap my mind around it."

My father scrutinized her, as if trying to figure out what she was thinking. "Well it must be sudden if we're only just finding out about him now. How did you meet him? Is he employed?"

Anna fidgeted in her position. _Oh no_, I thought. This is going to be bad, I can feel it. She shifted her eyes nervously from parent to parent, no doubt trying to think of a suitable response. "Well, I met him when I was at the gas station, and he assisted me."

"Well," my mother spoke up for the first time. "That's not so bad. You were having trouble and he helped you? That's very gentlemanly of him. So, did you say where he is employed?"

I knew this was going to turn out badly. Right when my dad asked if he was employed. What is it with parents and their need to make sure that their child is with someone who has their life figured out? What's wrong with someone who's still deciding what they want to do with their life? Obviously that just doesn't cut it in our family, as I'm finding out.

My sister exhaled loudly, preparing herself for the coming confrontation. "He is employed, Daddy. He works at the gas station, pumping gas."

At this statement, my father rose from his chair. It took a lot to get him angry, and usually I was to one to do it, but this time I wasn't even a blimp in his mind. "So you mean to tell me that out of no where you're marrying a boy who pumps gas for a living?"

Anna seemed to gain courage, and she stood up tall and nodded. My father dared venture another question. "And how old is he?"

All at once, her courage plummeted to the ground. She looked at me, as if begging for help. I had no idea what to say to get her out of this, so I just stood there. She turned back to our father. "What you have to remember is that I am an adult and I have the right to make my own decisions. It doesn't really-"

"I SAID HOW OLD IS HE?"

Now I knew it was bad. Rarely had I heard my father raise his voice. His way of intimidation was to look you square in the eye and speak calmly, as you hear disappointment dripping in his words. This time was different, though. It looked like he had finally snapped.

It seemed that Anna had come to this revelation at the same time as I had, so she just meekly replied, "26."

The color drained from our father's face. I could see in his mind's eye. All his hopes and dreams for his eldest daughter were slipping away right in front of him. He was probably imagining ten years from now, Anna living in a crappy apartment with her gas pumping husband, a brood of bratty children scampering around their ankles.

Anna looked back and forth between mom and dad, desperate for a response of any kind. What she got made me cringe for her, because I knew that she was only following her heart.

My mother got up from her seat, cast a disapproving look in Anna's direction, and swiftly exited the room. My father took a few steps toward Anna. He looked as if he was about to say something, but his mouth opened and closed, changing his mind at the last second. The least he could do was grace her with a few words, but even those escaped him. With that, he slowly made his leave.

When they were both gone, I saw defeat evident in my sister's face, and she slumped down on the couch that my mother had vacated. I knew this must be devastating for her. She had always been the good child, never doing any wrong. Our parents told Brian and I to look to Anna as an example of what to do, but I knew that after today they would look toward her with wary eyes.

I looked at my sister, who, with all the stress heaped on her tonight, was so in need of a friendly response.

"So what's his name?"

Anna smiled at me, and I could see that it was a real smile. Not the fake kind you see on some people, where it looks planted and never reaches their eyes. This was a genuine smile, and I was glad for who ever this guy was because he put it there.

"His name is Stan."

I fought back a laugh. This is not funny. This is not funny. I am not supposed to laugh because my sister loves this guy. But I couldn't help but imagine him as _Stan the Gas Pumping Man._

"What's he like?"

I sat back and listened as she rambled on and on about what a great guy he is, how much she loves him, and how she just knows that she's going to spend the rest of her life with him. I guess this really is what sisters are for. Not to go running around the mall with you, though I think my sister would appreciate that. No, I think what she needs is someone to listen to her and understand where she's coming from. Despite our 5 year age difference, I do sympathize with her simply because she is my sister.

When she was finished talking, she got up out of her seat and stood up next to my chair. She pulled me up out of the cushions and gave me a hug. It was a warm hug, a sisterly hug, and I was grateful for it.

When she pulled away, she looked me in the eyes. "Thank you for being here, Ezzie. I don't know what I would do with out you here to back me up."

I stared right back at her, completely sure where I stood. "I wouldn't be anywhere else. And don't worry too much, okay? Everything will work itself out in the end." The words I spoke were familiar to me, because I had heard them so many times before. Every time I was in a bind, Anna would always reassure me that in the end, everything would be alright.

I walked her to the door, and watched her as she got in her little black buggie. It had been a gift from our parents for graduation, and I knew she adored the thing. I watched her drive off, and slowly closed the front door. I locked everything up, and made sure the house was closed for the night.

I made my way up to my room, and carefully shut my door behind me. Sitting on my perfectly made bed, I thought about what was in store for this family. Man, as if going into high school wasn't enough, now we had this huge event on the horizon that would forever change us.

I thought about my sister, and how she was breaking the mold that had always been set for her. And all I could think about was how she had smiled a real smile, and I was happy for her.


End file.
